Final Notebook: 2007 Nationwide Tour  2007 Nationwide Tour: Year in Review (video) • When Richard Johnson (Wales) claimed the money title this year he became the first international player to lead the Nationwide Tour in earnings. Money Leaders • It was a good year for international players. Not only did Richard Johnson (Wales) lead the Tour in earnings, four of the top five money winners were international players including Nick Flanagan (Australia, No. 3), Jon Mills (Canada, No. 4) and Jason Day (Australia, No. 5) and five of the top seven with Matthew Jones (Australia, No. 7). • More on international players: They claimed seven spots among THE 25 and 20 of the Top 60 players hailed from outside the U.S.  Weekley • Former Nationwide Tour players won 21 times on the PGA TOUR this year raising the number of alumni victories to 217. Among the winners this year were two members of the Class of 2006 -- Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker. • The Class of 2006 did very well on the PGA TOUR -- eight of the 22 finished in the Top 125, with five earning $1 million or more. • When Jason Day won the Legend Financial Group Classic at 19 years, 7 months and 16 days, he became the youngest winner in Nationwide Tour history. • The 25-member Class of 2007 will send 11 rookies to the PGA TOUR -- Richard Johnson, Nick Flanagan, Jason Day, Matthew Jones, Michael Letzig, Martin Laird, Kyle Thompson, Marc Turnesa, Chez Reavie, Scott Sterling and Chad Collins. • Paul Claxton and Tom Scherrer each eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings on the Nationwide Tour this past season. They are the first two players to do so. • For the first time, two players earned more than $400,000 in the same season as Richard Johnson and Roland Thatcher each accomplished the feat. In addition, a record 24 players collected $200,000 or more this year.  Collins • Chad Collins led the Tour playing Par-3s in 2-under while Patrick Sheehan and David Mathis were the best on Par-4s (-42) and Brenden Pappas was the best on Par-5s (-164). • Brock MacKenzie set a new Nationwide Tour record for hitting Greens In Regulation at 77.6 percent. Greens in regulation leaders • Kelly Grunewald had the season's longest drive at 393 yards. • Nicholas Thompson and Keith Nolan were the Tour's ironmen playing in 31 of the 32 events. Thompson played the most rounds -- 108. • Richard Johnson qualified for the 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship and finished 59th out of 59 entrants. He turned that around completely this past year winning the 2007 Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek. • Nick Flanagan earned a three-win promotion to the PGA TOUR this year making him the eighth player to do so in Tour history. He's the first international player, however, to accomplish the feat. • Jamie Lovemark nearly became the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event when he lost in a playoff to Chris Riley at the Rochester (Minn.) Area Charities Showdown at Somerby. Four weeks later, Daniel Summerhays became the first amateur to win when he captured the title at the inaugural Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. • Jon Mills led the Tour in Top-10 finishes with nine and he led the Tour in rounds in the 60s with 50. Top-10 Leaders • The toughest hole was the first at The Course at Wente Vineyards. The par-4 played to a stroke average of 4.507. The toughest course was the par-72 Wente Vineyards layout which played to a stroke average of 75.235.  Elder • When Brad Elder won the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open he became the seventh player in Nationwide Tour history to win the same event twice. He previously won the event back in 1999. • You don't need to win to finish among THE 25, but you do have to be very steady. Six players who didn't win this year finished among the graduating class while six who won did not. The Nationwide Tour wishes to thank Dave Lancer of the TOUR Communications Department for helping compile these notes. |
